LEWIS HAMILTON has welcomed the change of heart at Mercedes which will see team orders abandoned and he and Nico Rosberg left to fight it out on the championship run-in.

Lewis Hamilton is pleased that Mercedes have abandoned team orders [GETTY]

Hamilton's decision to ignore his team's request to allow Rosberg through at the Hungarian Grand Prix sparked a whole heap of controversy, but the upshot is that he will not be asked to do it again while he too remains a title contender.

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff has acknowledged it is unfair to ask Hamilton to sacrifice his chances of a first title since 2008 for the championship leader.

"It's going to be great," said Hamilton, who closed the gap to 11 points by finishing one place ahead of Rosberg in third at Hungaroring.

"There will be scenarios where it will be sensible for the team [to move over] - if I was in 10th and could hinder Nico getting points for the team for instance - but it is a different thing when we are racing against each other.

"I did not cost Nico a win. I was racing against him. Why would I be concerned for him?"

Rosberg, who was upset afterwards at Hamilton's act of rebellion, was accused of "whining" by former world champion Jacques Villeneuve.

I don't think I was being ruthless. I was not even being bloody-minded. I was doing my job

Lewis Hamilton

Hamilton meanwhile was being cast as a rebel in some quarters.

"It is not questioning authority. I am hired to race and bring in points for the team. I am also hired to be me and race my heart out," he said.

"I cannot afford to lose anything else. I have already given away too much and at the end of the year I could be looking back saying 'if only the car did not catch fire', 'if only the brakes didn't fail', or 'if only I didn't make a mistake in qualifying', 'if only the engine had not stopped in the race'...all these things.

"It was just a case of not giving a single point away. I tried my hardest to be ahead and I don't feel as though I was obligated to help.

"I don't think I was being ruthless. I was not even being bloody-minded. I was doing my job."